Snappy then scanned my PC and listed drivers for all my devices. Actually, that was the second thing after changing its theme to the more readable Coax option. Having used Snappy Driver Installer Origin before, but not for several months, I knew the first thing I needed to do to update my drivers was click the button to download its indexes. Note that Microsoft Defender’s SmartScreen may flag SDIO as ‘unrecognised’, but it’s totally safe to use – see its VirusTotal results – so just click ‘More info’ then ‘Run anyway’. SDIO’s default interface isn’t particularly attractive, but you can tailor it to your taste by applying a different theme It’s a portable tool that doesn’t require installation, and lets you install drivers offline if you download its massive (26GB) collection of driver packs. We like the control Snappy gives you over which updates to download, and that you can press Ctrl while hovering over an entry to compare your current driver version with the one that’s available. You can support the site directly via Paypal donations ☕. TNR earns Amazon affiliate commissions from qualifying purchases.Snappy Driver Installer Origin is the best free tool for updating your device drivers Installing selected updates is as simple as clicking the Install button – recommended drivers are highlighted in bright green.

Unlike Windows Update, the program helpfully tells you when a driver is newer but “less optimal” than what’s already installed, but it also includes unsigned drivers, which you should ignore.Ĭreate a system restore point ( in our screenshot below) before updating any drivers, so you can roll back if anything goes wrong. You can then review the results and decide which ones to install. To use SDIO, you first need to install its 20MB indexes pack, which scans your PC to detect which drivers need to be updated. Free of charge, free of junk and lacking premium-only features, it’s a program you can either use occasionally to try and fix performance problems, or regularly in tandem with Windows Update to keep all your device drivers updated.

Snappy Driver Installer Origin (SDIO) is by far the best tool for identifying outdated drivers, and installing newer and/or better versions.

Driver update software